That Boy
by MorningSkies
Summary: Albus Potter is clever, handsome and popular- and rather uncomfortable with it all. It seems the only person who can look past his reputation is his best friend, Katie. But Katie has her own problems; her parents despise magic and her relationship with them is getting more and more strained. The only thing that seems to help her cope is a certain green-eyed boy with messy hair...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Albus' POV**

If I were Minister for Magic, I would make it illegal to get up before noon during the summer holidays. In fact, I'd make it punishable by a good few years in Azkaban.

Seriously, why would anyone choose to get up before then if they don't have any lessons to go to?

Evidently, both Lily and James would, because I can hear them bustling around downstairs, making far too much noise for my liking. To be fair, James is no longer at Hogwarts but it's not like he's at work today; the jammy bugger has been sighed to the Montrose Magpies.

Laughing at my weird siblings, I roll over in bed and try to get back to the dream I was having. I can't quite remember what it was about, but I have a feeling that it was a good one. Quidditch was definitely involved (but then again, when is it not?) and I have a vague image of Katie being there as well.

Whoa! Let's not have dreams about female best friends, shall we?

Pushing thoughts of Katie from my mind, I lean back against my pillows and shut my eyes, ready for at least two hours more sleep. That is until I hear someone run quickly up the stairs.

Don't come in here. Don't come in here.

'Morning, Al,' comes the chirpy voice of Lily from the doorway, 'Or should I say, afternoon?'

'Go away,' I say groggily.

She casts a disdainful glance around my untidy bedroom, taking in the crumpled up pile of yesterday's clothes on the floor.

'Well, as much as I love being in here looking at your used underwear,' she wrinkles her nose, 'I just came to tell you that Scorpius is here.'

'What? He's not supposed to be here until midday.'

'Albus, it's almost one o clock.'

I glance at the watch resting on my bedside table. Damn it, she's right.

Sighing, I reluctantly climb out of bed.

'Do you mind giving me some privacy?' I say pointedly.

'No problem,' grins Lily, 'I'll go and entertain Scorpius, make Rose a little jealous.'

Five minutes later and I join her downstairs, where I find Scorpius, my best friend since first year and the lone Gryffindor of the Malfoy family, sitting at the table chatting to Lily.

'Hi, Al,' he says, glancing up when I enter the kitchen, 'Whoa, you look rough, mate.'

Always the charmer.

'That's because it's the summer holidays and I should be in bed. Remind me why I invited you round again?'

'Because I'm amazing company.'

I snort but Lily nods her head rather enthusiastically in agreement; I shoot her a warning look.

'Morning, Albus Severus,' says James, appearing in the kitchen holding a letter in his hands.

'Don't call me that,' I complain, wandering over to the fridge in search of food, 'Want anything Scorpius?'

'Nah I'm alright.'

'Hey Albus,' begins James in a sing song voice, 'guess what came with the post today?'

'Not another one,' groans Lily, as I feel myself redden in embarrassment.

'Yep,' laughs James, unfolding the letter and reading it with a flourish,

_'Dear Al,_

_It's been one week, four days and two hours since the end of term. I know that may not seem that long to you, but for me it's been more torturous than the Cruciatus Curse. _

_I've already started a countdown to seventh year entitled 'Days until I'm reunited with Albus Severus Potter.' I think it has a certain ring to it._

_I know you will probably be spending your holidays mixing with famous people, but if you do have any spare time, I'd be more than happy to have you over for dinner. My parents are dying to meet you, having spent the past six years seeing your photo on my bedroom wall. _

_Write back please._

_All my love, _

_Lucinda Nichols.'_

Oh dear God.

Scorpius and James are both doubled over with laughter, clutching at the table and each other for support. Lily looks mildly disgusted but also a little bit amused.

This is not funny!

I've been on holiday for just over a week and I've had a letter from either Lucinda Nichols or one of her friends every single morning! They've been fascinated by me for a while but it seems to have hit fever pitch recently. I'm seriously thinking about employing Auror protection for when I leave the house.

I have a brief image of my father having to escort me everywhere I go in case a bunch of fan girls jump out at me.

Someone kill me now.

'You've been getting these every day?' asks Scorpius, who's regained the power of speech but is still taking deep gasps from his laughing fit.

'Yes,' I snap, 'she's a bloody stalker!'

'And who are these famous people you hang out with?' laughs James, wiping tears from his eyes; God I hate my brother sometimes.

'It's not funny!' I exclaim, annoyed at all of them; having a group of girls follow you wherever you go is not as appealing as it may sound.

'It fucking is,' smirks James, 'I'm glad you've been carrying on my legacy with the ladies.'

'Aren't you supposed to have moved out by now?' I snap at him.

'And miss winding you up? Nah, you're stuck with me until we're old men, Albus.'

Scorpius meanwhile has burst into laughter again. Some best friend!

Lily rolls her eyes, 'As much as I want to stay here and discuss my brother's love life, I'm going to go and see Hugo.' And with that, she flounces over to the fireplace and disappears in a puff of green smoke.

'Actually,' says Scorpius, stopping laughing at once, 'I might go and see Rose.'

James also stops laughing at this and glares at him, 'You better not still be sniffing around my cousin, Malfoy.'

The gloves always come off when Rose is involved.

'Nothing's happening between us!' protests Scorpius, holding up his hands in defence, 'Back me up, Al!'

'No they're just friends,' I admit, although I doubt this will be true for much longer; the two of them are so close it's a little bit nauseating being around them.

'Hmm,' says James, glaring at Scorpius suspiciously, 'If I hear anything different we'll be having words.'

Yes, we're a melodramatic family.

'Haven't you got something to do?' I ask James.

'Fine, I'm going,' he says and then smirks again, 'but I'm taking this letter to add to the collection.'

And with that he sprints out of the kitchen before I can go after him.

I sit down opposite Scorpius, shaking my head, 'This isn't even funny anymore.'

'Come on, Al, you've got a group of girls after you. That's not the worst thing that could happen,' reasons Scorpius.

'Have you heard from Katie?' I ask in a widely transparent attempt to change the topic of conversation.

Scorpius smirks at me, 'Talking of girls after you…'

I wave this away, 'Don't be ridiculous, just because you and Rose are all over each other doesn't mean men and women can't just be friends.'

Scorpius raises an eyebrow but doesn't press the point.

'Anyway, yes she wrote me a letter a couple of days ago,' he says, 'Sounds like spending time in her house is even worse than spending time in mine.'

I feel an immediate rush of sympathy for Katie and her home situation, as well as an odd feeling upon hearing her name that I can't quite pinpoint.

'Well, I really hope she's okay.'

* * *

**Katie's POV**

Worst. Summer. Ever.

And it's only a week and a half in.

I miss everything about Hogwarts; watching Quidditch matches, going to Hogsmede, learning loads of really interesting stuff in lessons. But most of all, I miss my friends. I would kill to see Rose or Scorpius right now. And, of course, I miss Al, perhaps more than anything else.

Okay, let's not think inappropriate things about male best friends, I tell myself sharply.

The reason why I hate the summer holidays- unlike normal seventeen years olds who relish the time off school- is simply because of my family.

My entire family are Muggles and their world was sort of turned upside down when I got my letter for Hogwarts. I'd always done weird stuff, and I'd always felt like I just didn't belong, but no one had any idea that it was because I was a witch. I think everyone just thought I needed to be sectioned.

A much better option in my parents' minds.

My parents grudgingly let me go, mainly because I told them I'd just go anyway, but our relationship has never been the same since.

So yeah, that's about the gist of it.

'Katie?' I hear someone yell my name from downstairs.

And here we go.

'Katie, can you not ignore me?' snaps my sister, throwing open my bedroom door and glancing around the room suspiciously.

'What do you want Rhia?'

Rhia is a year younger than me but always acts at least five years older, mainly because she only wears the smallest amount of clothes possible and is never seen without pink high heels.

'Have you taken my hairdryer?'

'Why on earth would I need your hairdryer?'

'Erm maybe to dry your hair with,' she rolls her eyes despairingly as though I'm a complete idiot.

No, you got the stupid genes, love.

'I don't need to use a hairdryer,' I explain as though talking to five year old, 'I can dry my hair magically.'

Rhia jumps as though I've just come out with a string of expletives; the 'm' word is like the 'c' word in our house.

'Shut it,' she snaps, the nice girl façade she employs around friends and our parents gone, 'Or I'll tell Mum that you threatened me with that thing.'

I pick up wand and look at it as though unsure what she means, 'what, this thing?'

I wave it around and mutter something under my breath. A puff of red smoke comes out the end and Rhia runs out of the room screaming like a banshee.

Ah the benefits of being seventeen.

My glee at annoying Rhia is short lived, however, and I soon realise just how bored I am. I'm stuck at home, miles away from my friends and with absolutely nothing to do. I had all my homework done by the end of the first week (cool girl, eh?) and now there's nothing left to distract me from the prospect of being here for the next six weeks.

I wish I was at Rose's; she'd invited me to spend the whole summer there but my parents have said no. In theory I could just go anyway, since I am of age, but Hermione didn't want to cause arguments between me and my parents, so I'm stuck here.

Just then, as if some magical force realises just how steeped in despair I am, a handsome tawny owl swoops in through my bedroom window.

Inwardly cheering as I recognise the bird as belonging to Al, I quickly pull the letter from its outstretched leg.

_Hi Katie_

_How's your summer? Scorpius and I were talking earlier and we're worried about you! You're parents really need to get over themselves. _

_This will cheer you up: I'm now being stalked by Lucinda and her posse via owl. I've been getting letters every morning from them. Of course James won't shut up about it. God, I wish he would hurry up and move out. _

_Maybe I should pretend to be gay to throw them off the scent, what do you think?_

_Anyway, I hope you're okay. Write back as soon as you can. _

_Love,_

_Al._

_P.S I might come over and see you, hope that doesn't cause too much drama with your parents!_

I snort with laughter as I read about Al's fan girls. The Potter boys are rather popular with the female population of Hogwarts, and now that James has left I suppose it's only fair that Al shoulders the entire burden.

I can see their reasoning though. I mean, who wouldn't fancy a boy with such amazing eyes?

Whoa! Stop that train of thought right there!

Luckily, Rhia reappears in my doorway and interrupts me from thinking about how good looking my best friend is.

'What's that?' she asks, looking at the paper in my hand.

'A letter.'

'I can see that,' she snaps,' who's it from?'

'My friend Albus.'

She wrinkles her nose delicately, 'Odd name, is he your boyfriend?'

I feel myself redden with embarrassment at the question, 'No he's not, or else I would have said my boyfriend, Albus.'

A triumphant grin spreads across Rhia's face, 'Well I can understand that. You've not got much going for you.'

'We look pretty much identical,' I point out, gesturing between her blonde, blue eyed features and my own similar ones.

'Yeah, but I make an effort with my appearance,' she laughs, looking at my skinny jeans and blouse combination.

'An effort to look like you should be standing on a street corner,' I mutter.

'What was that?'

'Nothing, nothing.'

The doorbell rings suddenly, effectively ending our brief argument. No doubt it will be one of Rhia's friends or whichever boy she's currently shagging.

Oh yes, she's very popular.

'That will probably be Kyle,' she says, grinning wickedly and heading downstairs, 'enjoy your day in alone, Katie.'

I hear her open the door and stand up to close my own bedroom door; funnily enough I don't want to listen to my sister snogging her most recent hook-up.

Call me old fashioned.

I hear Rhia's surprised tone, 'Oh hello. Have you got the right house?'

'Erm yeah, I think so,' replies a remarkably familiar voice.

'Oh well, if that's the case, would you like to come in? I'm Rhia.' Oh dear God, the 'seductive' voice is out.

I'm practically doubled over laughing as I head down the stairs, deliberately taking my time so I can see how this unfolds.

'You're not related to Lucinda Nichols by any chance are you?' asks the newcomer.

'No,' says Rhia, sounding confused (oh this is hilarious), 'Anyway, who are you? Not that I'm complaining having such a sexy guy turn up on my doorstep.'

Deciding this is the right time to rescue my friend, I make my way down the rest of the staircase to see a nervous looking Al being practically backed up against the door frame by Rhia.

She moves quickly, I'll give her that.

A look of relief breaks over his features as he sees me, 'Hi, Katie.'

Rhia turns her attention to me, 'You know him?' she demands.

'Yes,' I say trying not to giggle, 'this is my _friend _Albus.'

* * *

**So what do you think of the first chapter?**

**I know not loads happened but it's sort of an introduction. This is eventually going to be an Albus/ OC romance, but there'll be a bit of Rose/ Scorpius as well. **

**Anyway, how about a review? :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two **

**Katie's POV**

Rhia's mouth drops open so quickly it's a wonder that she doesn't fracture her jaw. A look of what can only be described as insulting shock crosses her face.

'This is Albus?!'

Al, bless him, looks rather bewildered by it all. Poor guy, he was probably trying to forget about the fan club letters and now he's actually face to face with an obsessive girl.

'Yep, that's my name,' he says, watching Rhia nervously. I don't blame him; the term man-eater was designed with my sister in mind.

Rhia's eyes shoot between the two of us, looking more and more confused, 'but he's so… and you're so…'

'I'm so what?' I snap. Rhia's constant digs on my appearance don't half piss me off- we look practically the same for God's sake!

'Oh come on, Katie, when was the last time you wore make up?'

As far as I'm aware, I'm wearing make-up right now. Admittedly not the orange coloured gunk which Rhia trowels on her face, but I've got a bit of mascara and tinted moisturiser on.

Ignoring her, I turn to Albus and wrap my arms around him. He hugs me back enthusiastically.

'I've missed you!' I exclaim.

Okay, I know it's only been a week but the only company I've had in that time has been Rhia.

'Me too,' he grins down at me as we pull away from each other.

'Have you grown again?' I ask; even in the few days since I last saw him, he seems to have gotten taller.

From behind me, Rhia scoffs and, in doing so, reminds me that she's still standing there.

'I thought you were meeting Kyle,' I say pointedly.

'Yeah, yeah, he'll be here in a minute,' she says dismissively, her eyes still on Al.

I can't help but giggle slightly. This must be the first time that Rhia has ever expressed an interest in a bloke only to have him completely ignore her in return. In fact, this must also be the first time in which a guy has turned up on the doorstep looking for me, not her.

Let's just say I'm a bit of an amateur in the dating game.

'I came to check that you were okay,' says Al, casting a warning glance at Rhia, 'Scorpius said you were having a tough time.'

I shrug, 'I'm alright. Are you going to stay for a bit?'

The prospect of probably the only friend I'll see for the summer leaving after only five minutes is quite painful.

'Yeah of course. What do you want to do?'

I glance at Rhia, who is still looking at Al with a glazed expression, 'We could go into town?'

'Yes, let's do that,' says Al hastily, looking rather relieved.

'Bye, Rhia,' I say sweetly.

She glares at me for a moment and then her face breaks into a sickening smile as she focuses on something behind me.

'Hi Kyle!'

A short, teenage boy of around seventeen- evidently Rhia's latest victim- is strolling up the driveway with his hands in the pockets of his tracksuit and some loud music blaring at of his phone.

'Hey, babes,' he says, winking at Rhia and kissing her rather enthusiastically.

Oh dear God.

I exchange a look with Al, who can't seem to restrain himself and bursts out laughing. The happy couple break apart and Kyle turns to Al with an annoyed look on his face.

'Got a problem mate?' he asks, in an unnecessarily aggressive tone of voice.

'Nope,' says Al calmly, not looking remotely fazed even when Kyle takes a step towards him.

I muffle a giggle at the sight; Al must be half a foot taller than him.

'Oh he's not worth it, Kyle,' sighs Rhia dramatically, taking her boyfriend's arm and pulling him into the house, 'they're just a couple of freaks!'

And with that venomous goodbye, she slams the door in our faces.

'Well isn't she lovely,' laughs Al, raising his eyebrows.

'Don't even go there.'

'So, how are we going to get into town?'

Now it's my turn to raise my eyebrows, 'Albus, you are aware that you are a wizard aren't you?'

'Oh yeah…'

Sighing and laughing at the same time, I grip his arm tightly and picture the little town that's about half an hour away from my house.

A minute later and we reappear down a rather unappealing looking back street, cluttered with rubbish bins.

'Katie if you wanted some alone time with me, you could have just asked.'

'Your jokes don't get any funnier, Albus.'

* * *

'So, is your family really that bad?' asks Al ten minutes later when we're sitting in a coffee shop having a drink.

'You saw my sister.'

He wrinkles his nose, 'yeah she was pretty horrific. Your parents can't be as bad though.'

Oh how naïve he is. Al has arguably the best parents in the world, so I suppose it's understandable that he can't picture anyone having a bad relationship with their mum and dad.

I can't think of anything to say, so I look down at the table and take a sip of my coffee. A warm hand is suddenly on top of mine, stroking my palm.

'Thanks,' I say thickly.

Oh God, do not cry now. Do **not** cry now!

'Are you okay?' he asks quietly.

I nod, 'yeah I'm fine. I'm just fed up of having to pretend to be normal around my family.'

'You are normal.'

I raise an eyebrow and he laughs, 'well maybe not, but that's not because you're a witch, it's because you're just a bit crazy.'

I can't help but chuckle, 'thanks Al, you're such a charmer, you know that?'

'I try,' he winks.

'So, how is the fan club?' I ask, wanting to change the topic to anything but my disastrous family life.

He rolls his eyes dramatically, 'don't even ask. I've been getting letters every morning. I don't see why they're so attracted to me.'

I look at him for a moment, and take in the emerald eyes and messy hair. He's wrong; I can definitely see the appeal.

Oh dear God. Stop thinking right this minute!

We spend the next hour in the café, chatting and laughing so much I completely forget about Rhia and my parents who are probably waiting for me back at home. When the owner starts hovering around us, we decide it may be time to leave, so we spend the next hour or so wondering around the town.

'You've seriously never been to a cinema?' I ask incredulously as Al points out the large multiplex.

'Nope,' he says, shaking his head, 'am I missing out?'

'Yeah!' I yell enthusiastically, causing him to take a step back, 'Films are amazing.'

As much as I hate being home during the holidays, I do enjoy the chance to catch up with all the movies I've missed while I've been at Hogwarts. Let's just say it's my not-so-guilty pleasure.

'You'll have to take me sometime,' he says.

'Yeah,' I say absent-mindedly, 'my first date was to the cinema. I was nine- it didn't last very long.'

Silence.

I glance at Al, having expected him to laugh at my childhood romances.

Oh shit.

Did I just use the 'd' word? Did I just imply that if the two of us went to the cinema then it would be a date?

'Not that I meant it would be a date, if we went,' I stutter hurriedly.

'Oh no, I know,' says Al equally as quickly.

We fall into a rather uncomfortable silence.

Talk about awkward.

'So, what time are you parents expecting you back?' asks Al after a moment, clearly trying to break the tension.

'Well they didn't know I was going out,' I admit, 'they were at work when you called round. I don't go out much usually, you see.'

I sigh, realising just how sad that makes me sound- and just how true it is. The summer holidays are usually hell for me. No friends or magic for almost two months and only Rhia for company.

'We should probably head back,' I say reluctantly; if I had my way I'd demand Al take me back to his house and let me stay for the rest of the summer. Somehow I don't think my parents would be too happy about that.

'I'll come and see you again,' promises Al quickly, 'tomorrow if you want.'

'Thanks,' I say, smiling at him.

I take his arm and picture the little street my house sits on. A moment later and we're both there, standing a few houses along from my home.

'What are you doing?' I ask, as Al follows me in the direction of my house.

'Walking you to your door,' he says, pointing towards the dusky, evening sky, 'it's dark.'

'It's not exactly dark,' I laugh, but I link my arm with his and let him led me up to my house anyway.

'So, are you done being chauvinistic?' I laugh as we reach my driveway.

'Don't pretend you didn't like being escorted home,' he winks, 'anyway I'd better-'

'Katherine Adams, get in this house right away!'

Oh shit.

My mother has opened the front door and is storming down the drive, looking furious. Beside me, I see Al raise his eyebrows in surprise.

Oh yeah, my entire family are psychos, not just Rhia.

'Where have you been?' demands Mum, glaring at Al as well as me.

'She was out with me,' interjects Al before I can say anything, 'I came round to see her and asked if she wanted to go out. It's my fault not hers.'

'I don't care,' she snaps, 'Katherine, I want you inside right this minute!'

With that, she turns on her heel and stomps back into the house. I notice Rhia has been watching the scene from her bedroom window; bet she loved that, I think bitterly.

'I'd better go,' I say to Al, wanting more than anything to either go with him or ask him to stay with me.

Oh, yeah that'd go down great with the parents.

He looks at me with those amazing eyes full of concern, 'I promise I'll write to you and come and see you again, Katie. Are you going to be okay?'

I nod, but before I can say anything, he pulls me into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around me. We stay like this for a couple of minutes, until I break away.

'See you soon,' I say, and hurry into the house, leaving Al standing on the doorstep looking as though he's unsure whether or not to run after me.

I shut the front door behind me and turn towards the lounge, where I can hear my parents having a furious conversation with one another.

Here we go.

I stomp into the room irritably and find them sitting in armchairs, my mother looking furious and my father looking a tiny bit nervous.

'What were you doing?' demands Mum as soon as she sees me.

'I was out with a friend,' I snap. God these two are messed up; normal parents are pleased when their child is out socialising.

'We've told you before that we don't want other _magic people'_ (she whispers this as though it's an expletive) 'around here.'

'So I'm supposed to stay cooped up in the house all summer?' I demand, glaring at her.

'Don't look at me like that, Katherine! And, yes, because we don't want people finding out, do we?'

She glares at my father when she uses the word 'we', evidently hoping for some back-up. Dad, however, merely sinks further into his seat and ignores her.

Wimp.

'I couldn't give a shit if people found out I'm a witch.'

Mum gasps and clutches her hands to her mouth, 'don't you dare use such language!'

I roll my eyes and, having decided I'm fed up of this conversation, turn around and stomp up the stairs.

'You're not going out again, Katherine!' she shouts after me, 'mark my words!'

Melodramatic much?

Once upstairs, I sprint into my bedroom, shut the door and throw myself onto my bed. The letter from Al is still there, albeit slightly crumpled after I've just launched myself on top of it.

Re-reading his words, I feel my throat tighten slightly.

I miss him so much.

* * *

**Albus' POV**

Even by the time I've gotten home, I'm still debating whether or not to go back to Katie's and bring her to mine. If I were her, I would have just gone to stay with Rose no matter what my parents said; I can only suppose that she doesn't want to deliberately cause arguments.

'Hi, Al,' says Lily as I enter the kitchen. She's sitting at the table with a couple of heavy looking textbooks propped open in front of her.

'You're doing homework already?' I ask incredulously, taking a seat next to her.

'Yep,' she says, not looking at me but focusing on the parchment in front of her. I take a look at the title, which is something very complicated looking. I don't have a chance to ponder Lily's sudden interest in schoolwork, however, because James bounds into the kitchen.

'Evening, Albus Severus, how was the date?'

'Don't call me that!' I snap, being far from in the mood to deal with my annoying brother.

'Interesting,' he says, also taking a seat at the table, 'you got annoyed with me calling you by your full name but you didn't correct me about it being a date.'

'It wasn't a date,' I say quickly, feeling my cheeks redden slightly.

'Well I hope not,' says James, looking at me closely, 'because you look bloody miserable.'

'It's Katie's family,' I sigh, leaning back in my chair, 'I didn't realise how bad they were.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well they hate that she's a witch and they make her life hell because of it. You should have seen her mother- she was practically breathing fire.'

'So get her to come and stay here,' says James, shrugging as though it's the simplest thing in the world.

'Her parents won't let her,' I say glumly.

We all sit in silence for a moment; me worrying about Katie, James looking deep in thought and Lily writing what appears to be a novel-length essay.

'Hello, Al.'

'Oh, hi, Dad,' I say to the figure which has just entered the kitchen, 'I was out with Katie.'

'Yeah, James told me you were. Now I need to talk to you three.'

'Sounds ominous,' says James.

I'm thinking along the same lines; Dad rarely has a serious talk with any of us- that lovely task is usually reserved for Mum.

Ah here she is.

As if sensing a chance to moan at one of her children, Ginny also appears in the kitchen. (I am only joking- I do love her really.)

'Your mother and I are going away this weekend,' says Dad, looking particularly at James, 'we decided you're old enough to be left alone and we're trusting you to be responsible.'

'Are you sure?' says James, sarcastically, 'I mean, I am only eighteen and Al is only seventeen.'

'It's you this is aimed at, James' answers Dad, smiling slightly; he's always been lenient to James' wild behaviour.

'Anyway,' says Mum, cutting across them, 'we're going away on Friday and we'll be back Sunday morning.'

In my head, I'm already planning what I could do during the adult-free weekend. I could have Scorpius, Rose and Katie round for the whole time.

Okay, so my plans are a little tame.

Meanwhile, I can practically hear the cogs in James' brain whirling; and I can guarantee they'll be thinking only one thing:

PARTY!

Sure enough, once Mum and Dad have left the room, he turns to me with an incredibly excited expression, 'Albus, invite everyone in your year, except the Slytherins, and anyone who's cool or hot from the year below. I'll get my team round, and Fred, and everyone who was in my year…'

'And who am I inviting?' asks Lily irritably.

'No one,' says James.

'What? That's so unfair!'

'Don't take this the wrong way, Lils, but I don't want loads of fifteen years olds there. Back me up, Al.'

'I'm staying out of it!' I protest; if the past is anything to go by, Lily will win this argument anyway.

'Lily, you're not inviting loads of fifth years!'

'Oh yes I am!' she says, her eyes blazing dangerously, 'I want to invite Hugo and Dominique, and Louise, Nicki and Zara. Oh, and Ryan.'

'Okay, okay, fine,' says James admitting defeat, 'wait a minute! Who the hell is Ryan?!'

Lily doesn't seem to hear him and returns her attention back to her essay.

I cut across James before he can say anything else, 'James, I'm not going to be here if Katie's not.'

'What?' he yelps, 'but you're the second Potter son. We're like a double act.'

'Okay first of all, since when? And secondly, I'm not going to have a party with all our friends if Katie's stuck at home. It's not fair.'

James looks at me shrewdly for a second, 'you do fancy her.'

'No I don't!' I protest, unsure if I'm telling the truth or not.

'Well convince her to come!' says James in an exasperated voice, 'Tell her parents where to stick it.'

'Yeah I'm sure that'll go down well,' I snap sarcastically.

I resolve to try and get her to come to the party though. The thought of seeing her gives me a strange uplifting feeling that I can't quite pinpoint.

Oh God. For once in his life, James is right.

I fancy my best friend.

* * *

**Hope you liked the chapter :)**

**Oh, I promise that at the party they'll be some Albus/ Katie as well as some Rose/ Scorpius. **

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Albus' POV**

'So what do you do if there's an emergency?' asks Mum, looking anxiously at me, James and Lily.

'Go to Ron and Hermione's,' choruses James, rolling his eyes; I don't blame him- we've had this lecture from Mum non-stop for the past few days and, now that she and Dad are about to actually leave, she seems to want to get in a few more runs of it.

'They'll be fine,' says Dad soothingly before turning to James and adding in an undertone, 'When I get back this house better be in exactly the same state in which I left it.'

'Yeah, yeah.'

Being the wimp that I am, I feel my stomach squirm as I picture the chaotic party we've planned for tomorrow night.

'We'll be fine,' smiles Lily, displaying the 'cute little girl' persona that seems to work brilliantly on our parents, 'I'll make sure the boys don't get up to anything.'

Both our parents look rather reassured by this. Honestly! Talk about sexism; if James or I had tried that they would have been immediately suspicious.

'Okay, well we'll see you on Sunday,' says Mum, looking rather reluctant to leave, 'We'll be back around 2.'

Dad rolls his eyes at her and opens the door, 'Come on, Gin, they'll be fine.'

'Bye! Have a good time in Paris,' we chant as they disappear down the drive and disapparate.

'Well thank God they've finally gone,' sighs James, leaning against the doorframe, 'I've got so much stuff to sort out for tomorrow.'

Again my stomach jumps at the thought of tomorrow's party. Only this time it's about the people I've invited- or haven't.

As if reading my mind, James turns to me and asks, 'Al, when are Rose, Scorpius and Katie getting here? Are they coming tonight or tomorrow?'

I pull a face and answer reluctantly, 'Well Rose and Scorpius are getting here tomorrow. I'm not sure about Katie.'

'Why not?' chips in Lily.

I'm tempted to lie but both my siblings are giving me looks which I know mean I won't get away without answering truthfully.

'I've sort of not invited Katie,' I admit, hanging my head in shame.

'Why?' asks Lily in great surprise, 'I like Katie, and James is only letting me have six guests of my own.'

Now I definitely can't answer truthfully here.

The reason I've not invited Katie yet is because I have no idea how to react when I see her. I've not seen her since I had the epiphany that I fancy her. Of course, I should have realised this months or maybe years ago, but I only thought about it properly when James mentioned it the night I got back from seeing her on Monday.

So now I break out in a sweat at the thought of her, and have no idea what I'll do when I actually see her. Part of me wants to ask her out while the other half is terrified of wrecking our friendship.

I know, I know. Harry Potter's son is a coward.

James, meanwhile, is looking at me shrewdly, 'You'd better invite her Al. Imagine her being stuck at home with her psycho family and finding out from Rose that we all had a party without her.'

Okay, I'm an awful person.

'I will invite her,' I say honestly, 'I'll send her an owl first thing tomorrow morning.'

'Good,' says James, looking more relaxed, 'right we need to get organised.'

Lily rolls her eyes, 'this is hardly a military operation, James. We're just having a few friends round.'

'Oh Lily,' laughs James, patting her on the back in a rather patronising way,' how naïve you are. There are more than just a few people coming.'

'What?' I ask, temporarily distracted from thoughts of Katie by this alarming news, 'you said thirty people, James.'

'Dear little Albus Severus,' says James, while giving me my own pat on the back, 'Everyone in your school year is coming and also about half of the year below. I've invited everyone who was in my year when I was at Hogwarts, plus everyone at the Montrose Magpies and about a dozen other people that I know. Oh and Lily's got her six friends coming.'

I let this revelation sink in, wondering how on earth we're going to keep the party a secret from Mum and Dad.

I glance at James, who is giving me a challenging look.

'Oh what the hell!' I exclaim, feeling a bit reckless all of a sudden.

James grins at me, 'I knew you'd be up for it. Now hurry up and invite Katie before I have to do it myself.'

And of course my thoughts are now back to my best friend…

* * *

**atie's POV**

A few days ago I thought my summer was at its lowest point and that it couldn't get any worse.

How very wrong I was.

It's now Saturday, five days after I went out with Al, and my parents still aren't talking to me.

Very mature for a couple of forty-something year olds who should know better.

The house has been locked in a state of tension ever since, with neither me nor my mother willing to be the first to speak to one another and my father resolutely taking Mum's side.

Why don't I just move out? I think, as I lie on my bed Saturday morning wondering how on earth my family life got so bad.

Because you don't have any money to buy your own place and you don't want to be a burden on your friends, I answer almost instantly.

I feel guilty for even thinking this because I know Rose's parents would gladly let me stay at theirs for as long as I like, but I can't bring myself to admit to anyone just how bad my family are.

Well, maybe I could talk to Al…

But Al clearly doesn't want to talk to me properly, or so his letters would suggest.

He kept his promise to write to me every day but he may as well not bother. His letters over the past few days have been about the most trivial things (one of them actually asked my opinion on the new legislation for Flobberworm breeding!)

It's as if he's purposely trying to avoid any discussion of emotions, which is weird considering how much we spoke about that kind of stuff on Monday.

Just at that moment, an owl soars through my open window and drops a letter on to my lap.

That'll be from Rose, I think, as I absent-mindedly open the envelope; she's been writing daily, mostly talking about Scorpius and asking whether I think he likes her or not.

Yes, he bloody does! Just go out already!

When I pull out the letter, however, I see that it is not from lovesick Rose but Albus himself.

Ooh, maybe a brand new breed of Flobberworm has been discovered!

**Dear Katie,**

**I'm sorry my letters have been a bit dull recently- in fact I'm surprised you even bothered to open this one. **

**How about I make it up to you?**

**James has organised a party at ours tonight (Mum and Dad are in Paris for the weekend) and it'd be great if you could come. **

**Romeo and Juliet will be there (I'm guessing you've had similar letters from Rose as I've had from Scorpius) as well as about half the population of the country if James has his way. **

**Anyway, I hope your parents let you come. Let me know.**

**Love Al. **

My stomach does the annoying leap it always does when I read the words _'love Al.' _I don't really understand it because it's not as if I fancy him.

Although, he does have great eyes, and his hair is really cute, and he's an amazing friend and has a six pack…

Okay, stop right there!

Al has a fan club of girls hanging off his every word and ready to date him at the drop of a hat. He definitely does not want an average looking girl with family problems doing the same.

It would be great to go to the party though, I find myself thinking; I would get to see everyone from school again, rather than have to wait until September.

Ten minutes later and I'm coming downstairs to make some breakfast, having resolved to be mature and ask my parents about this party.

Of course I already know what their response will be, but I should get credit for trying.

Everyone is already in the kitchen when I arrive. Mum is sitting at the table drinking a coffee and looking as severe as usual, Dad is sitting opposite her reading a newspaper and Rhia is leaning against the counter texting on her mobile.

I clear my throat to announce my presence and decide to get it over with quickly.

'Mum, Dad, I've been invited to a party tonight which I would like to go to.'

Mum puts down her coffee and looks up at me, while Dad merely lifts his paper so it completely obscures his face and therefore excludes him from the conversation.

'Is this party being held by someone from your _school_?' asks Mum in a low voice.

I nod, 'yes the same boy who you were so polite to on Monday.'

Well, I did give being respectful a go for a minute or two…

Her face immediately falls into a frown, 'Don't be so cheeky, Katherine. And no, you cannot go.'

'Why not?' I snap impatiently, 'you let Rhia go to parties.'

'Your sister goes to parties hosted by normal people,' retorts Mum, 'I may let you go to that school Katherine, but I will not allow you to fraternise with other _magic people _during the holidays.'

'Still hoping to stamp the magic out of me?'

She remains silent, something which I interpret as a yes.

I roll my eyes, a surge of recklessness flowing through me, 'well I'm going to this party tonight. I want to see my friends.'

'You set one foot out of this house and you're not welcome back.'

I let her words sink in for a moment. Did my own mother really say that? If I go to one party then I will be effectively homeless?

Despite myself, I feel tears prick at the corners of my eyes, and I hurry out of the room and back upstairs, refusing to let her see the effects of her words.

I'm in my room for only a few moments when there's a quiet knock on the door.

'What?' I ask aggressively as I pull it open, fully expecting Mum to have come up for round two.

Instead, Rhia is standing there, looking rather upset.

'Are you going to the party anyway?' she whispers.

I nod, wondering if her and Kyle have split up or something.

'You can borrow my new red dress if you want.'

I'm temporarily stunned into speechlessness. Never, in living memory has Rhia offered to do anything for me, let alone lend me her precious clothes.

'That would be nice, thanks,' I manage to say, after a while of standing there in shock.

She gives me a half smile and disappears into her own room.

Has the world gone mad?

* * *

By eight o clock that night, I'm ready for the party. Rhia followed through on her offer and has lent me her new dress, a red one with a skater skirt which I've paired with some back heels. I've also curled my blonde hair into ringlets and put a proper amount of make-up on for the first time in ages.

I think it's fair to say that I don't get out much.

'You look great,' says Rhia, who is suddenly standing in the doorway to my bedroom.

'Erm thanks,' I reply, still unsure what to make of my sister's behaviour; I can't help feeling that I'm walking in to some kind of trap.

She takes a deep breath, 'I don't think Mum should have spoken to you like that, Katie.'

I stare at her for a while, completely nonplussed as to what to say. Rhia and I are normally ready to kill one another, but now she's actually taking my side?

'Thanks,' I say rather lamely after a few moments.

She smiles, 'Dressing up for that Albus?'

My cheeks turn a similar colour to the dress, 'No. Well, I don't think so anyway.'

She raises her eyebrows in surprise, 'he is good looking and he seemed nice.'

'He is,' I admit, marvelling at how strange it is to be discussing boys with my sister, 'but we've been friends for six years. It'd be weird to be anything more.'

She nods, 'yeah I can understand that.'

We're both silent for a while.

'We'll I'd better go,' I say awkwardly after a couple of minutes.

'Have a good night. How are you getting there?'

I smile, wink, and then disapparate.

I arrive outside a large country house that is luckily in the middle of nowhere. I say luckily because I reckon you'd be able to hear the music playing a mile away.

James evidently got the party that he wanted.

Wondering what on earth I'm letting myself in for, I push open the door and find the entrance hall crammed full of people who obviously can't fit into the other rooms.

There must be a few hundred people here, I think wildly.

Everyone from my year seems to be here, including Lucinda Nichols and her usual posse who are peering at faces, clearly trying to spot Al. There are also a couple of dozen people from the year below who I vaguely recognise, such as Michael McLaggen, the idiot Ravenclaw Keeper who is attempting to chat up some uninterested older girls, and Charlie Green, a sixth year Gryffindor Prefect wearing an incredibly sparkly dress.

'Katie!'

I look round and see Rose Weasley running towards me and hugging me.

'Hi!' I exclaim, pleased to see my best girl friend, 'You look great!'

She's wearing a black cocktail dress and arguably the highest heels I've ever seen, which is really unfair because she's incredibly tall barefoot anyway.

'You too!' she squeals excitedly, 'who are you dressing up for?'

For the second time, in ten minutes I'm asked that question, and for the second time I blush.

'No one,' I say, waving it away, 'I'm guessing you had a certain blond boy in mind though.'

She winks at me and points over to the other side of the room where Scorpius- admittedly very handsome in dark jeans and a shirt- is standing laughing with Al.

Scorpius notices me and nudges Al, who turns round and takes my breath away slightly. He's dressed in a simple jeans and shirt combination, but it still makes him look amazing. His hair is artistically ruffled and his green eyes are dancing.

Or to put it in simple terms: he's gorgeous.

And he's heading this way!

'Hey, Katie!' grins Scorpius, hugging me, and then turning to Rose, 'Rose, want to dance?'

I watch her nod enthusiastically and then skip off with him.

I roll my eyes at Al, 'Is it official yet?'

'Nope,' he laughs and then looks at me rather intently, 'you look amazing.'

'So do you,' I say, in as casual a voice as I can muster while fighting a strange desire to run my fingers through his hair.

'I hope you were okay after Monday,' he says, leaning towards me so we can hear each other over the loud music, 'I felt awful leaving you there.'

'It's fine,' I promise, taking a step towards him so we're mere inches apart, 'Rhia's been acting weirdly nice today anyway.'

He pulls a face, 'your sister scared me a bit.'

I laugh, 'yeah I guess she's a reminder of the fan club. And blondes aren't your types anyway.'

I think of the half a dozen or so girls he's briefly dated over the years, all of which seemed to have dark hair.

'You'd be surprised,' he says quietly, glancing at me.

I'm suddenly aware of how close we are, of how we're standing in a dimly lit room practically touching. If I stand here any longer then I'm going to end up saying something I'll regret.

Knowing me I'll probably declare undying love for him and ensure the ruin of our friendship when he stutters that he doesn't feel the same way.

Why would he ever feel the same way?

'I'm going to go and find Rose,' I say rather bluntly, and disappear through the crowds of people before I can humiliate myself by admitting I may have som feelings for Al.

* * *

**Albus' POV**

I stand there watching Katie's retreating figure until she disappears into the next room.

What the hell just happened there?

I was going to tell her how I felt, I'd been building up to it all day and then she just ran off at the critical moment.

She obviously doesn't feel the same, I think glumly. After all, she did leg it the moment I said I liked blondes, and not too subtly hinted that that meant her.

God, I'm such an idiot! I almost ruined our friendship by asking her out and scaring her away.

'How's it going, bro?' James knocks me on the back, spilling half a bottle of drink down both of us in the process.

'Just great,' I snap, irritated with my brother who is clearly half drunk already.

'Chill out,' he says, holding his hands up, 'go and find Katie and dance with her. I know you like her.'

'Yes, well she doesn't like me,' I hiss, 'She ran off just as I was about to ask her out.'

'Oh burn!' laughs James, 'Drink this, it'll cheer you up.'

Without warning, he tosses the bottle at me, its contents, of course, spilling everywhere, including on the very sparkly dress of the girl behind me.

'Oh shit,' I say, turning to her, 'I'm really sorry.'

'Oh it's fine,' she says looking up at me and causing me to recognise her as Charlie Green, a fellow Gryffindor but in the year below me.

She waves her wand and the dress is suddenly clean.

'Good trick,' I comment.

'It comes in useful,' she agrees, 'great party by the way.'

'Thanks. James did manage to pull it off somehow.'

'It's a little crazy,' she laughs, her eyes scanning me while she does so.

'Well that's my brother. I think there's about three hundred people here.'

Charlie laughs which lights her eyes up and makes me realise how pretty they are.

Feeling awkward upon noticing this, I take a sip of the tiny amount of liquid that's left in the bottle, more for something to do than anything else.

Charlie's gaze follows me as I do this, 'What's that?'

'I have no idea,' I say honestly, 'One of James' team mates bought a crate of his homemade alcohol. God knows what's in it.'

'Can I try it?' she asks, raising her eyebrows in what can only be described as a seductive manner.

'Erm sure,' I say, handing her the bottle.

She doesn't take the bottle, however. Instead, she leans up and kisses me.

And the next thing I know, I'm kissing her back.

* * *

**I know, I know! Al and Katie are idiots for not realising they both fancy one another. But then there wouldn't be much of a story if they realised it straight away… ;)**

**Anyway, thanks for reading so far. I can't believe how many follows and favourites there have been after only two chapters- you guys are amazing!**

**Drop me a review? **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Katie's POV**

After a few minutes of dancing with Rose and Scorpius- or rather watching the two of them flirt- I begin to feel a bit like a third wheel.

'I'm going to go and say hi to some people from school,' I shout to them both as they dance wildly to the loud music.

'Okay,' says Rose before turning back to Scorpius and continuing their mad little dance routine.

They are kind of cute, although why they aren't together yet is completely beyond me.

Pushing through the throng of people I wonder how on earth James is planning to keep this a secret from Harry and Ginny. By the looks of it, numerous drinks have already been split all over the floor, walls and other people.

Just as I notice Roxanne Weasley- another of my fellow seventh year Gryffindors- and begin to make my way over to her, none other than the party man himself appears.

'Hi James,' I say, a little warily, 'having fun?'

He nods in a dazed kind of way and takes a large swig from a dangerous looking, unmarked bottle before passing it to me.

'I think I'll stick to the branded stuff thanks,' I laugh, marvelling at how bad a state he's in so early on in the evening.

He shrugs and takes another sip himself, 'Why have you been upsetting my little brother?'

I squirm at the thought that Al has already told James about my dramatic disappearance earlier, 'Erm, I really didn't mean to.'

'He likes you, you know.'

Despite the slight haze I'm experiencing because of a couple of glasses of Firewhiskey, those words cause something akin to an electric shock to rush through me.

'Albus likes me?!' I practically yell, causing James to jump half a foot backwards in shock and drop his bottle.

'Yes,' he insists angrily, while attempting to wipe spilt drink off his shirt, 'and I know you fancy him, so just go over there and snog him.'

Was that what Albus was going to say a few minutes ago? That he fancied me and wanted to start something?

Oh God, I'm such an idiot! He told me he liked blondes for goodness sake, and I still managed to not get the hint.

'I'll go and talk to him,' I mutter, although I have absolutely no idea what to say to him.

What the hell is the protocol for when the brother of your best friend of six years tells you that said friend fancies you?!

I push through the crowds of people who are dancing and laughing, and make my way back into the hallway, hoping that Al will still be there. Due to the sheer number of guests, it takes me a while to fight my way through, and then I have to dodge McLaggen's advances; the boy seems to be trying to set a record for the most rejections in one night.

Al likes me, I think again and again. If I hadn't been such a coward a few minutes ago we could have been dating by now.

We could be upstairs kissing…

Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

'Hello, Katie.'

To my immense displeasure, Lucinda Nichols corners me just as I have reached the doorway into the hall.

'Are you alright?' I ask her, despite myself; whenever we're at Hogwarts Lucinda always looks immaculate (no doubt another part of her plan to snare Al), yet now she looks upset about something and her face is rather blotchy.

She shakes her head dramatically, 'I suppose you already know.'

'Know what?' I ask, not really following the conversation, as I strain my head around the tall figure of Fred Weasley to try and spot Al in the hallway.

She sniffs and takes a deep breath as though about to admit something dreadful, 'About Albus and Charlie Green. How could he? He knows he and I are made for each other. Hey, come back!'

But I ignore her and shove past Fred to get out of the room. And that is where I witness the worst thing I've ever seen. Worse then when I walked in on Rhia and her boyfriend's enthusiastic snogging session, worse than the time Slytherin beat us at Quidditch, worse than anything I can imagine.

Albus Potter- _my_ Albus Potter, the boy who supposedly fancies me as much as I fancy him- is kissing the face off of Charlie Green in full view of everybody.

In the most cliché way possible, the entire room fades out apart from the two of them, who look so passionate and caught up in one another.

A wave of nausea rises in me and I turn and dash up the stairs and throw myself into the bathroom. Leaning against the locked door, I wonder just how on earth that happened. I must only have been gone for ten minutes. Did Al really get over me in that short a time?

No, it's my fault, I decide as the tears start coming, I shouldn't have disappeared like some melodramatic idiot when he was about to ask me out.

There's a loud bang on the door and a voice I recognise as Lily Potter's shouts, 'Can you hurry up please? There are four hundred people here and only two toilets!'

'Give me a minute,' I reply thickly.

'Katie?'

I ignore her and pretty soon I hear footsteps hurrying back down the stairs, which I take to mean she's given up and gone to use another bathroom.

I only have a couple more minutes to wallow in my misery and realise how pathetic I am to be shut in a bathroom at the party of the year, when there's another loud knock.

'Katie, open this door right now,' demands Rose, sternly.

Reluctantly, I pull the door open to see Rose and Lily standing on the threshold looking concerned.

'What's wrong?' asks Rose, hurrying inside and closing the door behind her.

'Haven't you seen the show your cousin is putting on?' I snap, rather unfairly since Rose has done nothing wrong.

She rolls her eyes, 'Ugh, it was disgusting. They hardly know one another, but why-'

She breaks off and stares at me, a look of realisation appearing on her face, 'You like Albus!' she practically screams.

To my horror (I hardly ever cry), I burst into a fresh wave of tears, which seems unlikely to ever stop. Looking rather alarmed, Rose fetches me some tissues and puts her arm round me.

'I had no idea,' she mutters, 'I just thought you were friends.'

I shake my head, 'I've always thought he was good looking and then I saw him earlier this week and realised how much I like him.'

She shakes her head and hands me some tissue, 'Well he's an idiot for not realising how amazing you are. You're much nicer than Charlie bloody Green.'

'That's not the worst part,' I exclaim dramatically, 'Al was about to ask me out when I arrived, but I misread the signals and ran off because I didn't want to embarrass myself by admitting that I fancied him.'

'Wait,' says Rose, looking thoroughly confused, 'So you liked Al and didn't think he liked you. He was about to ask you out but you didn't realise this and ran off. So he has no idea that you like him?'

'That's about the gist of it.'

'Shit,' mutters Rose after a few moments of stunned silence. Then her face sharpens into a look of outrage, 'well it didn't take him long to get over you, did it? The bastard.'

I can't help but giggle at this because I don't think that I've ever heard Rose swear before, let alone twice in one go.

'It'll be alright, the thing with Charlie is probably just a one off,' she says bracingly, 'Maybe you should just go home and try and calm down.'

I shudder at the thought of going home, and then remember that my mother told me not to go back if I went out.

'What?' asks Rose, noticing my reaction.

I shake my head, unsure whether to laugh or cry over how messed up my life has suddenly become, 'Going home will not help me relax.'

Rose looks at me incredulously for a moment, 'For God's sake Katie, you can stay at my house! I've already told you this!'

'I didn't want to cause any arguments,' I mutter rather lamely.

She shakes her head despairingly and pulls me into a hug, 'You're my best friend, you know that.'

'So I'm staying at yours?' I ask, my heart jumping at the thought of never having to live with my family again.

She nods, 'Yep. Shall we go and get your stuff?'

'What, now?' I'm surprised Rose would want to miss an opportunity to dance with Scorpius without it looking too suspicious.

'Yeah, well tonight's not going to be much fun for you if Al and Charlie are at it for the entire time.'

'You're my best friend too,' I murmur pathetically, grateful for her sacrificing her night to look after me.

'Of course,' she laughs, 'Okay, I'll go and say goodbye to some people, and then we'll get out of here.'

I nod and use some tissue to sort out my make-up. If I have to walk past Al again, I want to do it with at least some dignity.

Rose and I head downstairs and unfortunately have to go through the hallway where Al and Charlie are still playing tonsil tennis.

Come on! This is getting ridiculous! Do they have endless stamina?

Fortunately, Al doesn't notice either me or Rose walk past, so I don't have to pretend to be fine with him kissing Charlie nor slap him around the face. (I'm still debating which one of those choices to employ when I next see him.)

'Hey, Rose, your favourite song is on!' Scorpius has appeared, clearly looking for Rose.

She leans towards him and talks quietly so that only the three of us can hear, 'I think Katie and I are going to head home.'

'Are you okay?' he asks immediately, and I notice his hand brushes her waist as he speaks.

She nods, 'Yeah, Katie's not feeling well. I'll speak to you tomorrow.'

I watch in slight fascination as she briefly touches his forearm and then hugs him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

How the hell are these two not a couple yet?!

'Okay,' he says and then turns to me, 'I hope you're alright, Katie.'

I give him a nod, unwilling to speak in case it draws any of Al's attention to me; he's only a few feet away and the last thing I want to do is have to talk to him right now.

Once Romeo and Juliet have said goodbye, Rose and I head outside, where the cool night air hits me and wakes me up from my part-drunken, part-heartbroken daze.

'What a bastard,' I mutter as Rose takes my arm, ready for us to disapparate.

She giggles, 'Yep from now on Albus will be known as The Bastard.'

* * *

Two hours later and I'm sitting at Rose's kitchen table, holding a cup of tea and feeling more relaxed than I have done in ages. Somehow, being in Rose's house with her lovely parents and the annoying in a cute way Hugo, has made the Al situation seem not quite so bad.

I mean, it's not as if he and Charlie will go out, or anything. They were probably both a bit tipsy and found a shared interest in each other's tongues. It's not like that's an ideal foundation for a long-term relationship.

God I hope I'm right.

'And of course you're welcome to stay for the rest of the holidays,' smiles Rose's mum Hermione as she offers me a plate of biscuits.

'Thank you,' I say, feeling incredibly grateful.

'Oh it's nothing,' she insists, waving my thanks away, 'Besides, it'll be nice for Rose to see someone other than her cousins over the holidays.'

I glance at Rose who shoots me a warning look; clearly her parents are unaware of the amount of time she spends with a certain Scorpius Malfoy.

'Can we have some privacy, mum?' demands Rose, looking rather flushed.

Hermione laughs, 'Of course. Shout me if you need anything Katie.'

'Your mum is so nice,' I mutter as Hermione leaves the kitchen.

Luckily I managed to avoid a confrontation with my parents because Rose and I apparated directly into my room and were somehow quiet enough that we packed all my things and were away before my parents had noticed anything.

Of course I know I'll have to go back in the next day or two and explain where I'm staying, but I'm glad that there was no more drama tonight.

'Thanks again for cheering me up and letting me stay,' I smile at Rose.

* * *

**Albus' POV**

'Seriously, Al you need to go to bed,' Scorpius tells me in what I consider an unnecessarily strict voice.

'You sound like my Dad,' I mutter, as I take another swig of one of James' unmarked bottles of alcohol; after ten of them, I've realised that I do actually like the taste.

It's around three in the morning and most of the guests have left. Not that I've noticed much of what has been going on; I seem to have spent most of the night kissing Charlie Green, although the details are a bit hazy.

'Well since he's not here, I'd better do his job,' says Scorpius, snatching the bottle away from me and vanishing it with his wand.

'Hey! I was drinking that!'

'You're such a twat when you're drunk, Albus.'

I'm about to retort when Charlie reappears by my side, wearing her rather attractive smile.

'Hey, Albus, I'm about to go,' she says, looking up at me through her eyelashes, 'I just wanted to say goodbye.'

And before I can say anything, she leans up and kisses me rather enthusiastically; not that I mind, I would just like a little bit of a warning first.

'So,' she begins, when we break apart, 'are we going to meet up sometime?'

'Yes,' I say, not entirely sure what I'm agreeing to, 'Erm I'll send you an owl.'

'No need,' she says, 'I'll just pop round and see you sometime next week. I do know where you live, after all.'

'Okay,' I agree, thinking of nothing but the comfortable bed which is awaiting me upstairs.

With one final kiss, she says goodbye and disappears out of the front door with a couple of friends, turning to wink at me as she leaves.

Once she's gone, Scorpius turns to me with an incredulous expression on his face, 'bunny boiler alert!'

'Oh don't be ridiculous, these things happen at parties. She doesn't want a long term relationship.'

He raises his eyebrows in that annoyingly smug way of his, 'doesn't she?'

Well, even if she does, I don't have the mental capacity to think about it at the moment. I think the effects of the homemade alcohol have caught up with me.

'See you later, mate,' I say to Scorpius as I turn to head upstairs to bed.

I make it one step when a thought enters my drunken mind.

'Scorpius! When did Katie leave?'

'Oh she left really early on in the night. Rose said she wasn't feeling well.'

'Why didn't she tell me she was leaving?'

Scorpius rolls his eyes despairingly, 'You were a bit busy with Charlie at the time.'

A rush of horror flows through me. Did Katie see that?

Well of course she did! Charlie and I weren't exactly being subtle!

'Oh God, I'm such an idiot,' I moan, sitting down on the steps and holding my head in my hands.

'Well I know that, you'll have to be more specific.'

'I can't believe I kissed Charlie right in front of Katie,' I mutter, more to myself than to Scorpius, 'she won't think that I fancy her now.'

'Okay, back track there, Al!'

'Yeah, yeah, I fancy Katie, okay!' I attempt grudgingly, 'I was going to ask her out but then she ran off, so I sort of ended up kissing Charlie.'

'I knew it!' exclaims Scorpius excitedly, 'I always knew you had a thing for Katie! Why the hell did you kiss Charlie then?'

'Because I'm a twat.'

'Yes, you are. Does Katie fancy you?'

Now that has me stumped. She did run away when I was about to ask her out, but maybe she didn't realise what I was doing at the time- I'm not exactly the smoothest talker.

'Who knows?' I shrug, feeling more than a little bit of despair, 'It's all one massive mess.'

'Yeah and now you've made it worse by agreeing to go on a date with Charlie! And you know you won't turn her down, because you're a nice guy. Not the kind who hooks up with girls at parties and then ignores them. Well, not usually anyway.'

'No, that's usually your job,' I snap, although I'm actually annoyed at myself not Scorpius.

'Hey!' he says, looking rather offended, 'You know I don't do that anymore. Not since I realised-'

He stops talking- no doubt just before mentioning Rose- and blushes.

I pretend not to notice this and find my thoughts returning to Katie. I've somehow managed to screw everything up in the space of one night. Katie will be furious with me (that is if she does fancy me at all, which I still have no proof of) and I'm sort of compelled to meet up with Charlie again so I don't look like a tosser.

How the hell did I get myself into this mess?

* * *

**Oh dear, it's all a bit messed up thanks to Al and Katie not admitting their feelings. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll try and post the next one within a week, hopefully less. **

**Please review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Katie's POV**

'Are you sure you're okay doing this?' asks Rose, for the tenth time, looking as worried as she has done all morning.

Its Monday- two days after the fateful party, and I've decided that I perhaps should go and inform my parents that I have moved out.

'I'll be fine,' I reassure her truthfully. Over the past couple of days, having been living at Rose's, I've realised there is no reason for me to put up with my parents' rubbish anymore. I'll go and let them know where I'm staying and that's it.

'Well, okay,' says Rose, not looking entirely convinced, 'but, you know my Mum has offered to go and talk to them.'

'I know, but your Mum's done enough for me already. Don't fret, Rose, I'll only be half an hour or so.'

She rolls her eyes, 'Okay see you later.'

I'm just heading out of the door when she shouts after me.

'Oh Katie, Al will probably come round at some point today.'

'Why?' I ask incredulously, 'Surely he'll be too busy snogging whichever random girl he's picked up today.'

She pulls a face, 'Ugh, I know. But the thing is, he usually pops round most days in the holidays, and he probably doesn't have a clue that you're annoyed with him.'

'How can he not realise that?!'

She shrugs, 'I don't know. You have to admit the whole situation is pretty complicated, you don't know if he knows that you like him.'

I'm silent for a moment, trying to work out exactly what she has said. Wow this is one confusing situation.

'Haven't you spoken to Scorpius about it?' I ask, surprised that she's not been in correspondence with lover boy.

She shakes her head, 'Nope, he had a family meal yesterday. I'll owl him later.'

Rolling my eyes, I wave goodbye and head out of the door.

Rose's parents' place is a large but cosy house situated just outside a little country village; Harry and Ginny's home is about ten miles away. Apparently they all got fed up of living in London pretty quickly and just started commuting to work instead.

Now that I'm outside, walking down the stone path that snakes through the pretty front garden, I want nothing less than to go and see my parents. But I feel like I ought to go and tell them where I'm living.

Sighing with resignation, I disapparate and find myself on the dull little street of my parents' house. I notice only my mother's car on the drive, meaning Dad has already gone to work.

Since I doubt they'll find it acceptable for someone who no longer lives there to just walk in unannounced, I knock on the door.

It's opened after only a couple of seconds by none other than Rhia, who stares at me for a moment before flinging her arms around me.

'Okay, okay, relax,' I say, breaking away after a moment; clearly Rhia's transformation into a nice sister has been a permanent one.

'I thought you weren't coming home!' she exclaims, looking almost close to tears.

'Erm, well I'm not. I just came to let you all know where I'm staying,' I say, feeling slightly awkward.

Her face falls, but before she can say anything else, my mother appears in the doorway looking flustered.

'Katie?'

'Yes,' I say irritably; she can't honestly have forgotten her eldest daughter in the space of two days!

'Where have you been?' she demands, looking furious.

'I've moved out.'

There's silence for a moment as my mother looks at me with an expression I can't quite identify.

'Where are you staying?' she asks after a while, in a much quieter voice than before.

'At my friend, Rose's house. I just thought I'd better tell you.'

'Thank you,' she says, her eyes darting everywhere, except towards mine.

I'm not really sure what I'm meant to do now. I've said what I came to say- do I just turn around and go back to Rose's?

'Bye, Mum' I say simply.

She finally makes eye contact with me and I see that her face is rather blotchy, her eyes damp.

'Bye, Katie' she says, turning back into the house, 'let me know if you need anything.'

And with that, she walks slowly back inside and up the stairs.

Well, that's that.

'Are you really leaving?' asks Rhia incredulously, reminding me of her presence.

'Did you miss that conversation?'

'I can't believe it,' she mutters, her eyes welling up, 'I'm so sorry I was so horrible to you.'

I roll my eyes and hug her for the first time in years, 'Don't be stupid, it's not like we won't see each other again. And I'll write to you.'

'You promise?' she sniffs.

I can't help myself but laugh, 'Rhia, if someone told you a week ago that you'd be crying as I moved out, would you have believed them?'

'Yes,' she says defiantly, 'you're my sister.'

I'm not quite sure if I believe her, but I'm too glad that we're parting on good terms to say anything.

'I'll see you soon,' I promise, turning round and heading down the driveway.

I disapparate as soon as I'm out of danger of being spotted by the neighbours, and reappear in Rose's front garden again.

That was a whole lot easier than I thought it would be.

I find I'm not even upset at saying goodbye to my mother. It just feels like a relief to be free of all the stress and upset I experienced whilst living there. Now I can stay with Rose for the rest of the holiday, and when I leave Hogwarts next year and start working, I'll get my own place.

Feeling strangely content, I jog up to the back door and head into the kitchen, expecting to see Rose sitting at the table doing the Potions essay she's been talking about all weekend.

I'm half right.

Rose is sitting at the table, but not with her homework.

Perched on a chair opposite Rose is an incredibly smug looking Charlie Green, her hand entwined with that of Albus bloody Potter's.

I must have only been gone for fifteen minutes! Yet, Al and Charlie have somehow arrived in that time.

'Oh, hi, Katie,' says Rose, jumping up from her seat and looking very uncomfortable.

'Erm, hi,' I say, taking in the scene which wouldn't look out of place in the most terrifying horror film.

Charlie is practically sitting on Al's lap, holding his hand and gazing rather adoringly at him. In his defence (not that he deserves one), Al is looking a bit awkward, as though he would rather be anywhere than here.

'Hi, Katie,' he says, giving me a weak smile.

I'm unable to respond with anything more than a nod. It's one thing to kiss a girl at a party. But it's a whole other thing to parade her in front of me at Rose's house.

'Hey, Katie,' grins Charlie, looking completely over the moon.

Now, I know it's unfair to dislike her, because all she did was kiss a boy she likes. Still, as I watch her play with the end strands of Al's hair, it's a struggle to resist the urge to hex her.

Turning away from the sickening sight, I shoot a glare at Rose that I hope says 'what the hell were you thinking letting them in the house?'

She jerks her head towards the other side of the large kitchen and heads over there. I follow her and watch in amazement as she busies herself with the kettle.

'What the hell are they doing here?' I hiss, the noise from the kettle ensuring my words don't carry across to the happy couple.

'They just turned up five minutes ago,' she whispers, looking guilty, 'apparently Charlie wanted to be introduced to some of Al's friends.'

'Don't be stupid, it's not serious.'

Rose raises her eyebrows and glances over at Charlie who is looking at Al as though he's the best thing in the world, 'I think she would disagree.'

'Argh!' I exclaim frustratedly, 'I want to kill that boy!'

Well, I don't know if I want to kill him or kiss him. I've still not made my mind up.

'To be fair, it does look pretty one sided,' observes Rose as she subtly looks at them, 'I bet Al is just too scared to dump her. Or maybe he doesn't want to look like a bad guy.'

'Fair enough. But why did he ever think I'd want to see him with her?'

'Well, we don't know if he knows you like him.'

'Okay, let's not go into that again, I'm still confused from trying to work it out earlier.'

'And he had no idea you were here,' points out Rose.

Having been making tea for a good five minutes, we both realise we're starting to look a little odd. So, very reluctantly, I grab some cups and head back over to the table.

'Erm, so are you alright Katie?' asks Al in what he obviously assumes to be a casual voice.

'Oh yes,' I say sarcastically, 'I've had to move out because I was so miserable at home, and my mother wasn't even that upset when I said goodbye to her.'

A very nasty silence settles around the table as everyone searches for something to say.

'Did you have a good night on Saturday?' Charlie asks me, apparently oblivious to the awkwardness.

'Not really, I left early.'

'Oh yeah, I remember Scorpius telling me that now!' exclaims Al, more to himself than to me, 'Why did you leave?'

My eyes meet his, which are looking hopeful about something. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of knowing it was because of him that I left.

'I felt ill,' I answer bluntly.

'Oh, okay, I thought… well, never mind.' He slumps slightly in his chair and looks thoroughly dejected about something.

Why am I making myself sit through this? I wonder. I've not done anything wrong. It's Al's inability to keep his tongue to himself that has caused all this.

'Well this was nice,' I say, in as polite a voice as I can muster, 'but I have some homework I really need to do.'

And with that, I get up and walk quickly out of the room.

* * *

**Albus' POV**

'That was nice,' smiles Charlie just after we apparate back to my house, 'I've always wanted you to introduce me to your friends.'

What does she mean she's always wanted to be introduced to my friends? We've only been 'seeing each other' for two bloody days!

Yesterday morning I woke up with a pounding headache (made all the worse by Lily screeching in my ear that we had an hour to put the house back together before Mum and Dad got home) and a resolution to put the events of the party behind me.

The flaw in my plan was that Charlie evidently wasn't thinking along the same lines, and she showed up Sunday afternoon acting as though we were officially together. I managed to get rid of her, only for her to reappear this morning and ask to be introduced to my friends. So, taking the cowardly route out, I took her to Rose's, hoping my wise cousin could help me. Of course I had no idea that Katie was staying there.

That did not help the situation.

'Erm, Charlie?' I begin, feeling incredibly awkward, 'you do know we're not going out don't you?'

'Of course I know that,' she says, rolling her eyes and pouting at me, 'for now anyway.'

I audibly gulp and feel my cheeks redden slightly. Damn it, why am I too polite to tell her I'm not interested? Curse my parents for bringing me up to respect women.

Clearly interpreting my blushing as growing feelings of love towards her, Charlie grins and kisses me, biting my bottom lip none too gently.

'I've got to go home now,' she sighs, glancing at her watch, 'but I'll see you soon, Albus.'

'Charlie!' I call out to her as she's heading out the door.

'Yeah?' she smiles, turning back round towards me.

I take a deep breath, 'listen Charlie, you're great but I don't want a girlfriend at the moment. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have led you on at the party.'

She looks slightly disappointed for a moment (which of course makes me feel like the worst guy in the world) but then she shrugs, 'That's fine. You just think you don't want a girlfriend, I suppose I'll just have to try and change your mind.'

I begin to protest, but she presses her lips to mine again, and then disappears out of the door, winking at me as she goes.

'Arrgh!' I scream and bang my head against the wall in frustration.

Ouch.

'Is that your lovely lady friend?' winks James, appearing in the doorway with his trademark smirk plastered on his face.

'Piss off.'

'That's not very friendly, Albus,' he grins, 'She's hot, what's the problem?'

I give him what I hope is a withering look, 'that's irrelevant, James. I was wrong to kiss her on Saturday. I shouldn't have led her on.'

'Oh is that the one you were snogging at the party?' he asks, looking insultingly surprised.

'Yes!' I exclaim, 'you were there, for God's sake!'

He shrugs unconcernedly, 'In case you didn't notice I was a tad drunk. I can't remember anything that happened. God knows what I said to people.'

'I wish I couldn't remember anything,' I mutter darkly.

'How does Katie feel about the new lady?' he asks, watching my reaction carefully.

Upon hearing Katie's name, my mood plummets even further. She clearly wasn't happy when she saw me and Charlie together earlier. But does that mean she fancies me or is she just annoyed at me being- let's face it- a bit of a twat.

I shrug as way of a response to James' question.

I can tell he's about to say something else when our father appears in the hallway, looking at us suspiciously.

'I need to ask you two something,' he says, looking half bemused and half annoyed.

'What's up, Dad?' asks James in the fakest innocent voice I've ever heard.

To my horror, Dad produces one of the homemade bottles of alcohol that James' teammate brought to the party. Besides me, James clears his throat uncomfortably.

'May I ask why I found this under the sofa?' asks Dad, looking shrewdly at the pair of us.

'Erm,' is my articulate reply.

'It's Lily's,' says James quickly, 'I'm worried about her, Dad. I think she has a drinking problem.'

I give him an incredulous look, partly because he's putting the blame on the sister he absolutely adores, but mainly because he clearly thinks Harry 'I defeated Voldermort and am now Head Auror' Potter is going to believe him.

'Nice try James,' says Dad, who looks as though he's struggling to fight the temptation to burst out laughing.

Then, to my complete surprise, he merely rolls his eyes at us and says, 'Don't tell your mother,' before heading back out of the room whistling.

James is the first one to break the shock induced silence, 'Okay, I think we may have the coolest Dad possible. Seriously, I don't think even Uncle George would have been that relaxed about us having a party.'

'Tell me about it,' I whistle, hardly daring to believe our luck.

'So, what are you going to do about Charlie?' asks James briskly, after a few moments.

'Who's Charlie?'

Oh dear God.

Dad was evidently waiting in the next room to hear our reaction, because he's stuck his head round the doorframe with a confused look on his face.

'Charlie is a girl Albus got _acquainted _with on Saturday,' laughs James, giving me an evil grin.

Ground, please swallow me up now!

Dad pulls a face, 'I do not need the details, James.' Then he turns to me, 'I thought you liked Katie?'

How the hell did my Dad realise I fancied Katie before I did?!

I gape at him for a moment, unsure what exactly to say. James has no such reservations.

'He does, Dad. But he doesn't know if she likes him- even though I'm sure she does- so he decided to be a twat and kiss Charlie instead. But it turns out she's something of a fan girl and now he can't get rid of her.'

'Thank you for that,' I snap at James.

Dad shakes his head at him and then turns to me, 'I'll keep it simple Al because I was even worse with girls at your age than you are, so I'm not in a position to give advice. But, it's obvious that you and Katie like one another, so end things properly with Charlie and ask Katie out.'

Great, so my love life has gotten so tragic that my forty-something year old father has to give me advice.

'Wait a minute!' I gasp suddenly, 'you think Katie likes me as well?'

Dad rolls his eyes in a very James-like way, 'Yes, Al.'

'So what should I do?' I ask pathetically.

'Ask her out!' both James and Dad yell at me simultaneously.

I think for a moment, with the wisdom of their words slowly dawning on me.

I should ask Katie out! It's not as if Charlie and I are together (I've made that perfectly clear) and it's Katie who I really like.

I need to apologise to her though, I realise instantly. I need to have a long talk with her and explain how I was an idiot to snog Charlie. I need to ask her if she's okay about moving out of her parents' house and listen to her if she wants to discuss her family. I need to wrap my arms around her and tell her that I love her…

Okay, maybe that last one should wait for a bit.

I'm so fired up that I'm ready to apparate back round to Rose and talk to Katie right there and then. What could go wrong? Even if she doesn't feel the same, at least we'll both know where we stand.

'Right, I'm going to see her,' I say forcefully, earning appreciative looks from James and Dad.

But then, as if some force out there hates me, the doorbell rings.

'Oh hell no,' I mutter, knowing fully well that Scorpius is busy today and that it won't be Rose or Katie.

Feeling as though I'm walking to the gallows, I pull open the door and feel a wave of despair wash over me as I see Charlie standing on the doorstep.

'Hello, Albus!' she exclaims as though she's not seen me for a year.

Behind me, I notice James and Dad exchange a significant look.

'I did go home,' explains Charlie, throwing her arms around my neck, 'but I couldn't stop thinking about you.'

Someone kill me now.

* * *

**If only Charlie hadn't turned up again… ;) **

**Okay, I know I've kept you waiting for a while, but I promise there will be a bit of Albus/ Katie romance next chapter, and they'll also be some Rose/ Scorpius (my favourite pairing!) pretty soon as well.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading. **

**Let me know what you thought of the chapter by reviewing :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Albus' POV**

Much to Charlie's annoyance, I immediately detangle myself from her arms and take a hasty step back.

'What's up?' she pouts, and then her gaze drifts over to James and Dad and she suddenly looks as though Christmas has come six months early.

In fact, she looks like she doesn't know which one of us to talk to first. Her eyes skip past me, rest on James for a moment and then flicker over to look at Dad.

Okay, this may be the most disgusting moment of my life.

'What are you doing here, Charlie?' I ask- mainly to stop her looking at my dad like that, rather than because I actually want to talk to her.

She turns back to me and smiles, as though she's not just checked out my brother AND my father, 'I wanted to see you, Albus. I know you said you don't want a girlfriend but…'

'Let me stop you right there,' says Dad suddenly, in his strict voice that I've only ever heard twice before (once when James and I convinced a six year old Lily that there was a Basilisk under her bed, leading to her refusing to sleep there for a week, and once when James got inappropriately drunk at Granddad Arthur's seventieth birthday party.)

'I do not want you having a girlfriend at the moment, Albus,' he says, giving me a stern look over the top of his glasses.

'Okay,' I say, catching on surprisingly quickly and hanging my head slightly.

'But Mr Potter-' begins Charlie, but Dad cuts her off.

'I'm sorry, Charlie is it? You seem like a lovely girl but Albus needs to focus on his schoolwork this year. I don't want a repeat of James' NEWT results.'

'Oh, okay, I see,' says Charlie, looking more than a little disappointed but clearly not daring to go against Harry Potter's wishes.

She turns to me and sighs dramatically, 'Well I suppose we'll just have to be good friends, Albus.'

I rearrange my expression so it looks as though what I'm saying is emotionally painful, 'Better not, Charlie. It'll just put temptation in our path.'

'Maybe you're right,' she sighs, 'I suppose I'd better go.'

She waves a rather glum goodbye to us all and heads out of the door looking upset but also a tiny bit pleased about something. I suppose seeing me, James and Dad all in one room was something of a dream come true.

Sighing with relief, I close the door behind her and collapse against it.

'Dad, I owe you one. Seriously, you could be an actor if you ever get bored of the Auror thing.'

Dad rolls his eyes but looks rather pleased with himself all the same. I try not to dwell on the fact that I've just required my father's help to escape the clutches of a sixteen year old girl.

'What do you mean, you don't want a repeat of my NEWT results?' asks James suddenly, looking outraged.

Dad rolls his eyes at him this time, 'Have you forgotten the Troll in Potions?'

James doesn't seem to hear him, however, and turns to me, 'Albus! What are you still doing here? Go and see Katie!'

My heart thuds erratically at the thought of telling Katie how I feel. I need to do it though, I tell myself. And I want to do it.

I just have to hope that she feels the same way.

* * *

**Katie's POV**

Following my dramatic storm out after Al and Charlie turned up, I spend the next half an hour or so sitting alone in the spare room wondering how on earth things turned out this way.

A week ago I was wandering around the little Muggle town near my parents' house with Al, having a perfect day. And now I'm hiding in Rose's spare bedroom as she talks to him and his new girlfriend.

I've been sitting up there for a while, perched on the bay window seat, when Rose appears, looking apologetic.

'I'm so sorry about that!' she says, standing by the window and watching Al and Charlie walk through the garden and disapparate.

I shake my head, 'It's not your fault. It's your twat of a cousin who's to blame.'

'Yep, that seems fair,' she reasons, 'seriously though, are you alright?'

I was until Al paraded Charlie in front of me. Now I'm fighting the urge to chase after him and put a few curses into practice.

It seems an appropriate time to test my skills at the Cruciatus Curse. Or Avada Kedavra. The list is endless really.

'I know!' exclaims Rose excitedly, completely ignoring my lack of response to her question, 'We should set you up with someone else.'

'Why?'

She gives me a patronising look, 'The best way to get over someone is to find another guy.'

'And they say feminism is dead.'

She ignores me and looks deep in thought, while I briefly think of the two guys I've dated previously. One was Ryan Finnegan, a Gryffindor in the year above who I was with for a few months, and the other was Michael Simpson, a seventh year Ravenclaw. Last I heard, Ryan was in Dublin working for the Irish Ministry of Magic, and Michael had a girlfriend.

'What about Luke Wood?' she asks after a few moments, looking quite pleased with herself.

'Roxanne likes him,' I point out.

'Does she?!'

'It's so obvious!' I exclaim, rolling my eyes, 'And I'm sure he likes her too.'

'Oh, okay, well what about Marlon Bennett?'

'Dating Cecilia Perkins.'

'Rob Jones?'

'He's a Slytherin.'

'Phil Stephens?'

'He's gay.'

'My God, you're picky,' mutters Rose, throwing herself on the bed dramatically.

I give her a bemused look, 'Why are you getting so frustrated? It's me with the shit love life, not you.'

'In case you hadn't noticed, Katie, I'm single as well. I've not dated anyone since Lewis Smith last year.'

I shudder at the memory of Rose's last boyfriend, a Ravenclaw in our year who everyone agreed was a serious contender for Tosser of the Year. Inexplicably, Rose went to Hogsmede with him one day, and before we knew it, they were dating. It lasted four months until they had a massive argument which resulted in Lewis getting two black eyes- one from Rose, and then one from Scorpius once he saw how upset Rose was.

I raise my eyebrows at her, 'What about a certain Mr Malfoy?'

Rose blushes scarlet and covers her face with a pillow.

'I know there's something going on between you two,' I probe, relishing the chance to get to the bottom of the matter for once.

'No there's not!' she protests, although her response is muffled by the thick pillow covering her head.

I'm silent for a moment, wondering whether to pursue the matter or not. Then suddenly Rose sits up, her cheeks pink and her hair ruffled.

'I would like something to happen though,' she says, fiddling with the corner of the duvet cover.

If I had been holding anything, I would have dropped it.

After six years of spending endless alone time together, bickering over Potions tests and- more recently- flirting non-stop, Rose has actually admitted to fancying Scorpius!

'Well why aren't you together then?' I demand furiously.

She raises her eyebrows.

'Okay, okay, so I'm not in a position to talk, but still!'

She sighs and jumps off the bed, choosing instead to pace up and down the small room; this is evidently a stressful subject matter.

'I like him,' she says, 'and Scorpius has told me he likes me too.'

Oh my God! I'm glad I'm sitting down for this conversation.

'But,' she cuts me off before I can say anything, 'It's just so complicated. My Dad hates his family, his father hates mine. I think we're just better as friends at the moment.'

I feel very deflated at her words. If Rose and Scorpius got together they would be the cutest couple ever. They're absolutely adorable even now and they're just friends.

Before either of us can say anything else, however, the doorbell rings, making my stomach leap.

'If that's Al and Charlie again, I won't be held responsible for my actions,' I warn Rose, 'Seriously, you may have to stand up in court as a murder witness.'

'As melodramatic as ever,' she laughs, 'no, don't worry, it's probably Scorpius. He usually pops round during the day…' She trails off and blushes again.

The two of us head downstairs to the door, since Hugo appears to be unwilling to leave whatever it is he's doing and answer it. I try to compose my face so that I won't burst out laughing when I see Scorpius and let on that Rose has told me everything.

When Rose opens the door, however, it is not Scorpius, but a tall boy with dark hair and the green eyes which I've been picturing for the past week.

'I need to talk to you, Katie,' says Al, putting his foot in the way of the door so I can't shut it in his face.

'What the hell are you doing?' I shout, attempting to shut the door but only succeeding in slamming it into his foot.

'I need to talk to you,' he repeats, pushing the door fully open and striding inside as if he owns the place.

Okay, I know it's not my house either, but I am technically living here, unlike him.

'What's going on?' shouts Hugo, bursting into the hallway, wand at the ready.

Rose takes one look at her lanky fifteen year old brother who looks identical to their father and burst out laughing.

'Hey!' protests Hugo angrily, 'I thought someone was trying to break in. I was coming to fight them off.'

I ignore them both and turn back to Al, 'I don't want to talk to you Al! Surely you're too busy snogging your new girlfriend anyway?'

He flinches at the harshness of my tone but isn't deterred. He stands in the doorway and crosses his arms across his chest. 'I'm not leaving until you talk to me, Katie.'

'Hugo, fancy throwing him out?' I ask Rose's rather bewildered looking brother.

Hugo glances at Al who raises an eyebrow and gives him an 'I'd like to see you try' look.

'Argh!' I yell in frustration, wanting nothing more than to be left alone to think murderous thoughts about Al and Charlie.

'Charlie and I aren't together!' exclaims Al, looking straight at me, 'It's you I like, Katie. It always has been.'

Well I was not expecting that.

Beside me, Rose and Hugo exchange looks and one of them mutters something about 'having homework to do'; they both slink off, clearly not wanting to be a part of the conversation.

'What?' I ask Al, wondering if I've heard him right. Only an hour or so ago, he was sitting at the kitchen table being mauled by Charlie, and yet now he's saying this to me.

'You heard me,' he mutters, walking into the house properly and closing the door behind him. Meanwhile, I just stand there gawping at him in what is probably an incredibly unattractive way.

'Why the hell were you with Charlie then?' I demand furiously, refusing to make direct eye contact with him, because I know those green eyes will make me melt, 'You have no idea how horrible it was seeing the two of you together!'

To his credit he does look ashamed when I ask him this, and glances down at the floor, something he always does when he's nervous.

'I was going to tell you that I liked you, Katie. But then you disappeared before I had the chance. And then Charlie was just sort of there…'

'Very romantic,' I snap.

'It was a mistake!' he protests, 'I was drunk and I shouldn't have done it. It's over with her though.'

I'm quiet for a moment, thinking about what he's said, unsure whether to believe him or not. How do I know that he's not saying all this to me but still secretly hooking up with Charlie?

Because Al isn't like that, a voice in my head immediately replies.

'Listen, Katie,' says Al, taking a step towards me so we're mere inches apart, and looking directly into my eyes, 'I want to be with you. Not Charlie, not any other random girl, but you.'

I try to avoid his gaze because I'm still furious with him, but I can't help glancing at the sincere expression etched across his features.

'What about when we get back to Hogwarts and Lucinda Nichols and all your other fan girls resume the stalking?' I argue, still refusing to let him off the hook regardless of how sincere he may be.

He pulls a face, 'Come on, you know I'm not interested in any of them. I'll just have to shake them off again.'

I'm silent for a few moments, watching him look at me.

'I think I love you, Katie,' he says quietly.

At that point I have to grip the kitchen side to stop myself from falling over in surprise. He loves me?! Then why the hell did he kiss Charlie?

I'm unsure whether to kiss him or slap him, but that choice is suddenly taken out of my hands as Al leans towards me and presses his lips against mine.

Of course, as soon as he does that, my resolve crumbles and I'm soon kissing him back enthusiastically. My arms wrap around his neck and he places his hands on my waist, pulling me towards him so we're impossibly close.

Damn, he's a good kisser.

We break apart after a few minutes, both of us looking a little flustered. Al gives me one of his lop-sided smiles while I just stand there trying to compose my thoughts.

'I like you too,' I tell him, and he breaks into the biggest grin I've ever seen.

'Really?'

I roll my eyes, 'No, Albus, I make a point of kissing guys I don't like.'

'Okay, okay, just checking,' he laughs, as he moves towards me and wraps his arms around my waist again.

We kiss again for a while, even more enthusiastically than the first time. Just as it looks like we could go for some kind of world record in snogging, however, an annoyed sounding voice shouts at us from the next room.

'Oi! Can you tell me what's going on because this suspense is killing me?'

Al and I break apart, laughing, as Rose comes stomping into the kitchen looking irritated. She stops dead at the sight of us and her mouth falls open in an incredibly comic manner.

'About bloody time,' she mutters, 'it's only taken you six years!'

'I could say the same about you,' I retort, earning me a furious glare from her that she soon turns on Al.

'I hope you've apologised for the Charlie fiasco!' she tells him sternly, sounding not unlike Professor McGonagall.

'I have,' Al assures her, taking my hand in his and smiling at me.

'So what's going on between you two then?' she demands, glancing between the two of us.

'Who knows?' I shrug, winking at Al, who grins back at me and looks rather pleased with himself.

And that's the truth, because at the moment I don't know how to define us. I'm still annoyed about Charlie, but I also know that I want to be with Al. However, I don't want to give him too easy a ride after him being such a prat.

I do know one thing, however, as I look at the boy whom I'm holding hands with.

This summer is going to be so much better than I thought it would be!

* * *

**Okay, I wasn't sure about this chapter. I'm not sure if they've got together too early and Katie's forgiven him too easily. I can promise plenty more drama though ;)**

**Thanks for reading, and please review to let me know what you think. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**Albus' POV**

The summer holidays turn out to be some of the best weeks of my life.

No, scratch that; they are, without a doubt, the best weeks I've ever experienced.

Katie and I spend almost every day with one another, at mine or Rose's place, depending on if either Ron or James is at home (both keep making fun of me whenever they lay eyes on me and Katie together, so I try to avoid them wherever possible.)

However, although I've been impossibly happy over the holidays, I also cannot wait to return to Hogwarts where Katie and I can actually spend some time together away from my nosy parents and relatives. And then there's the fact that it just seems so much more official having a girlfriend whilst at school rather than just over the summer holidays.

This is why, the evening before we're due to return to Hogwarts, I'm sitting in my room feeling quite excited.

To improve my mood even further, Katie is coming round tonight, for the Weasley- Potter 'last day of the holidays get together,' an annual tradition, for which the responsibility of hosting falls on my parents this year.

I'm lying on my bed, absent-mindedly flicking through _Quidditch Weekly_, when there's a knock on my door.

'Come in!' I shout, surprised that whoever it is had the courtesy to knock; people are usually just barging into rooms all over the place round here.

My dad walks into the room, looking as though he wants to be anywhere but here.

'What's up Dad?' I ask, throwing my magazine aside and sitting up.

He takes a deep breath and sits down on my desk chair, looking so uncomfortable that my immediate thoughts are that either him and Mum are divorcing, or that someone has died.

'Well, it's my turn to have tomorrow morning off work to take you all to King's Cross, while Ron looks after the office. Now Hermione's working as well, so it's just me and your mum taking you, Lily, Rose, Hugo and Katie.'

'Yeah, you've already told me this,' I say, giving him a weird look and wondering why he seems so awkward.

'So, Rose, Hugo and Katie will be staying here tonight to make it easier in the morning.'

Suddenly, with a rush of horror, I can see exactly where this conversation is heading, and I want nothing more than to not be a part of it.

'No, Dad, we do not need to talk about this!' I protest, attempting to cover my ears with my magazine.

By the look of his uncomfortable expression, he's clearly thinking along the same lines. Nevertheless, he presses on with the torture.

'Al, your mum and I have been talking and we want to make sure you're… that you and Katie are…' he takes a deep breath, 'That you're being safe.'

Oh what I wouldn't give to not be in this room right now.

There's silence for a moment, before I realise I'm expected to reply.

'Dad, we've not-' Words fail me; I cannot explain to my _father _that I'm not actually having sex at the moment.

After a few moments of awkward silence, however, the decision to tell Dad this is taken out of my hands.

'Dad, there is no way that Al is getting any!'

James has jumped into my room, clearly having heard the conversation and wanting to add to the embarrassment.

Dad ignores James and turns back to me, 'Al, it's not that your mum and I mind…' he goes bright red at this, 'we just want to make sure you're careful if you are.'

'Okay, Dad, I understand. Now please tell me this conversation is over.' I'm even redder in the face than Dad; in fact, the only person who is enjoying himself is James.

Dad nods and makes to go out of the room when James stops him.

'Dad,' he begins, putting on a serious expression but continuing to smirk slightly, 'I think you need to have The Talk with me. I have some questions I need to ask.'

'James, from what I'm forced to read in _The Prophet _every morning, I think you could do with taking a leaf out of Al's book.'

'What, being a woman repeller?'

Dad shakes his head and hurries out of the room, evidently having decided he's done his duty as a father and not wanting to have to talk about sex with us anymore.

I wait five seconds, to make sure he's gone downstairs, before leaping off my bed and throwing myself at James.

'What's wrong, Albus Severus?' he laughs as I knock him to the floor and attempt to put him in a headlock.

'Do you have to be such a twat?' I exclaim, as I succeed in wrapping my arm around his neck.

James doesn't seem capable of speech, however, although that may be due to my partial strangling of him.

'What are you two doing?'

I look up at the doorway (still keeping James in a headlock) and see Scorpius standing there. He's coming to the party tonight, so I assume he's used that as an excuse to get out of his house early.

'Al has just been given The Talk, and has had to explain to our Dad that he doesn't actually need it because he's not having sex,' explains James, taking advantage of my distraction to throw me off him.

Despite supposedly being my best mate, Scorpius bursts out laughing and actually has to clutch the doorframe for support.

'Oh, I didn't know you were pulling a different woman every night, Scorpius,' I retort, and succeed in shutting him up.

James pulls himself up off the floor and laughs at us both, 'You two need to come out with me and Fred one night.'

'Funnily enough, I'll pass,' I snap, 'I hardly think that would go down well with Katie.'

James makes a whipped noise, which causes Scorpius to burst out laughing again.

'Excuse me!' I exclaim, rounding on my so called friend, 'You're supposed to be my mate. But whenever you come round you're always laughing about me with James.'

'To be fair, there is quite a bit to laugh about,' smirks James.

I throw the nearest available textbook at him.

'Okay, okay,' he laughs, dodging _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_, 'I'm going. Now you make sure you're careful, Albus.'

I slam the door shut behind him and throw myself back on to my bed.

'You're here early,' I comment, as Scorpius takes a seat in the desk chair.

'Yeah,' shrugs Scorpius, 'I couldn't wait to get out of the house. Narcissa and Lucius are coming round for dinner.'

I wince at the idea of having to sit through a meal with Scorpius' grandparents, neither of whom have renounced their pure blood mania views since Voldermort's defeat. No wonder Scorpius spends so much time here or at Rose's place.

'Bet they didn't like you coming over here.'

'Oh no,' whistles Scorpius, 'Although it was quite funny explaining that I was ditching them for a Potter- Weasley family party.'

I roll my eyes and toss _Quidditch Weekly _towards him, 'Did you hear about Fields being sacked from the Tornadoes?'

To my surprise, Scorpius 'massive Quidditch fan' Malfoy doesn't catch the magazine but lets it fall to the floor instead.

'Something up?' I ask, glancing at him and noticing he does look rather glum about something.

He shrugs but doesn't say anything for a few moments. I don't push it, knowing from experience that he won't talk about anything if he doesn't want to.

Instead, I let my thoughts trail back to Katie. I picture her smile, her beautiful eyes, how it feels when we kiss.

Except, following the horrific conversation Dad instigated, I feel a squirm of embarrassment as well. It's not like I haven't thought about _that, _I mean I am seventeen years old after all, but Katie and I haven't even spoken about it yet.

Of course when she sleeps over tonight, she and Rose will be sharing the spare room, and no doubt I'll have Hugo in with me. Still, the thought of her staying over makes me feel a bit funny.

'Can I ask you something?' asks Scorpius suddenly, jolting me out of my thoughts.

'Huh?' I reply inarticulately; I'd temporarily forgotten that he was there.

He sighs deeply, 'Do you think I should just ask Rose out?'

'Of course you bloody should!' I shout, sitting up so quickly that my head spins.

I've suspected that Rose and Scorpius like each other for ages now; I've always assumed that it was various family complications that were keeping them apart. Not that either of them have ever said anything to me about it.

Scorpius looks down at the floor, rather than at me, 'I really like her, and I can't see why we shouldn't be together anymore.'

'Brilliant!' I exclaim, causing him to grin reluctantly.

'Hey, we could be cousins in law!' I realise.

'I'm going off her by the minute.'

I spare him one glare, and then imagine how great it would be if he and Rose got together; they could double date with me and Katie.

Okay, so I have suddenly turned into a girl.

'Do you think I should say something tonight?' he asks, looking rather excited at the prospect, 'I already know she likes me too, I just need to make the first move.'

'Do it!' I exclaim. Then a thought hits me and I can't help but burst out laughing, 'And make sure Uncle Ron isn't nearby.'

* * *

**Katie's POV**

The evening before I'm due to return to Hogwarts, Al's parents hold a massive family get together, to which I'm invited. Admittedly, I have already met the majority of Al's family already, but it seems so much more of a big deal now that we're together.

At seven o clock, I apparate round there with Rose and Hermione, while Ron is given the task of Flooing with Hugo. Me and Rose have all our Hogwarts stuff with us as well, since we're staying at the Potter's tonight so they can take us to King's Cross tomorrow.

Oh yeah, I'm staying over at Al's tonight. I'll probably be in the spare room with Rose, but it's still something.

Arriving at Harry and Ginny's house, we head through the back gate into the garden, which is quickly filling up with various Weasleys.

'Katie!'

Al runs up to me and hugs me enthusiastically, despite us having seen each other the previous evening.

'You're in a good mood,' I laugh, as he helps me with my trunk.

'Why wouldn't I be? My beautiful girlfriend is here and-' (he glances over at Scorpius, who is making his way over to Rose) 'there may be a big development tonight.'

I look over at Scorpius, who has taken Rose's trunk off of her, and is making conversation with Hermione.

'He better avoid Ron,' I mutter, following Al into the kitchen with my trunk.

'Hello, Katie,' says James, winking at me as he grabs a drink from the fridge.

'Erm, hi,' I reply, wondering why he's giving me that knowing look. I notice he winks at Al as well.

'Let's go and put your stuff upstairs,' says Al hastily, leading me out of the kitchen.

'What was that about?' I ask, as soon as we're out of the kitchen.

'Oh nothing,' says Al, his face reddening slightly, 'How are you, anyway?'

'I'm fine,' I say, still suspicious about James' behaviour.

I soon forget about it, however, as Al leads me into the spare room, puts my trunk down and wraps his arms around me. I run my hands through his hair, loving the feel of it under my fingers.

'Hey, do you know how long it takes for me to do my hair?' he complains, laughing and pulling me closer to him.

'Shut up,' I murmur, pressing my lips against his.

We kiss for a while, until we're interrupted by Ginny yelling up the stairs at Al to come down and greet his grandparents. Blushing and feeling slightly ruffled, the two of us break apart and head out into the garden, where all attention quickly falls on me.

'Al's finally worn you down then?' laughs James' best friend, Fred Weasley.

'Oh ignore him, Katie,' mutters his sister, Roxanne, glaring at her brother and then turning to hug me.

'I hear Rose got Head Girl,' she mutters under her breath, casting a glance at Rose, who is standing on the far side of the garden with Scorpius.

'Yeah,' I laugh, picturing how dictator like she's going to be, 'And she's already threatened to put you in detention.'

'I hope you're not misbehaving, Roxy!' exclaims Fred, giving his sister a look of mock outrage, 'I don't want you ruining my excellent reputation.'

'Your family is a tad mad,' I comment to Al, as Roxanne and Fred start a furious war of words.

'Tell me about it,' he mutters, rolling his eyes. Suddenly, something catches his eye across the garden, 'Oh God, keep your head down, Uncle Percy's arrived.'

'Run for your life, Katie!' exclaims Fred dramatically.

'Yep, definitely mad,' Al confirms.

* * *

Despite Al's crazy family, the night is great fun. We all eat outside, simply because the house isn't big enough to accommodate thirty odd people, with all the adults sitting at one table and all us 'children' sitting at another.

The food is brilliant, and the company even better. I sit next to Al, who holds my hand for most of the night, something which makes it difficult to use cutlery but which I appreciate all the same.

Rose and Scorpius, meanwhile, sit at the far end of the table and look deep in conversation. Both of their expressions are quite serious, as though they're discussing something important, but I notice their hands keep brushing one another's, and Scorpius' arm rests on the back of Rose's chair.

I'm not the only person to notice this however, in fact Ron looks ready to march over to them at several points during the night. Luckily Hermione manages to stop him.

Scorpius having the Avada Kedavra curse put on him would definitely put a damper on the evening.

By eleven o clock, everyone has said their goodbyes and left, James and Fred have disappeared in search of a night club, and Harry and Ginny have gone to clean up, leaving me, Al, Lily, Hugo, Rose and Scorpius outside.

We all sit on the grass, chatting for a while, with Rose and Scorpius sitting incredibly close to one another, and occasionally exchanging the most adorable glances.

'I'm going to bed,' sighs Lily, after a while, 'I've still got all my stuff to pack tomorrow morning.'

'Good idea,' agrees Hugo, 'Where am I sleeping Al?'

Beside me, Al shrugs, 'Well you were meant to be staying in my room, but I doubt James will be home tonight, so you might as well sleep in his.'

'Okay,' agrees Hugo, heading into the house with Lily.

Meanwhile, a strange sensation shoots through me at the thought of sleeping in the same house as Al.

'What's wrong?' he murmurs, wrapping his arms around me.

I shake my head, 'Nothing.'

'I better go home in a minute,' mutters Scorpius, looking thoroughly miserable at the thought; I notice Rose places her hand over his as he says this.

'I'll walk with you to the gate,' she says, glancing directly into his eyes.

And with that, they ignore both me and Al, and disappear down the garden.

'What the hell is going on with them?' I exclaim, 'This is driving me crazy!'

'I know!' agrees Al, 'He said earlier that he was going to ask her out. I don't know why it has to be so complicated!'

I turn my face towards him and raise my eyebrows.

'Okay, okay,' he laughs, 'I know we were a bit complicated as well.'

I laugh, and lean back against him, enjoying the final night before we return to Hogwarts and Lucinda bloody Nichols.

'I'm going to bed,' I say after a few minutes, when I'm unable to supress a yawn.

'Yeah, me too,' says Al, helping me to my feet and causing that odd sensation to shoot through me again.

The house is quiet when we go inside; clearly Harry and Ginny have already gone to bed, as well as Lily and Hugo. We head up the stairs, hand in hand, my heart suddenly thumping incredibly loudly.

Al pauses at the top of the steps, 'Want to hang out in my room for a bit?'

'Sure,' I say, following him inside and trying to control the explosion of excitement and nerves that is currently going on in my stomach.

Feeling slightly awkward, I take a seat on Al's bed, where he soon joins me, wrapping his arms around me.

'So,' he says, 'Are you looking forward to going back tomorrow?'

'Yeah, I suppose.'

I'm unsure whether or not I should tell him what I'm thinking. On one hand, I can't wait to get back to the castle, which is where I've had some of the happiest times of my life. Yet, at the same time, I'm dreading having to deal with Lucinda Nichols and her posse, who consider an hour wasted if it's not spent stalking Al. In fact, I've been worrying about this non-stop for the past week or so.

'What's wrong?' asks Al, gently.

I look at his expression and decide to tell him what I'm thinking, 'What happens when all the girls in Hogwarts go back to stalking you?'

He pulls a face, 'I don't think all the girls in Hogwarts fancy me.'

You'd be surprised, I think bitterly.

Al pulls me closer to him and tightens his arms around me, 'And it doesn't matter anyway. It's you I want to be with, Katie. You mean everything to me.'

I smile as I feel my worries lift slightly. 'That was the right answer, Albus,' I mutter, kissing him.

We get passionate pretty quickly, and the next thing I know, he's pulling us down so we're lying against the pillows. I don't stop to think of the implications of this, however, as I continue to kiss him, my hands on his Quidditch toned chest.

Meanwhile, Al's hands are stroking my hips, roaming over my back, sliding up underneath my shirt. I moan slightly at the feel of his hands on my skin, and his lips move to my neck, applying delicious pressure.

I don't want to stop, I really don't. Yet something makes me pull away from him and sit up.

'I'm not ready to do this yet,' I say quietly, fiddling with the corner of his duvet.

'That's okay,' insists Al, sitting up and taking my hand in his, 'I don't know if I am either to be honest. I suppose the idea was just put into my head earlier.'

I frown at him, 'What do you mean?'

He reddens slightly, 'Well, my dad had The Talk with me this afternoon, and then James has been giving me non-stop banter about it.'

If dying of embarrassment was medically possible, I would have achieved it right now.

The thought of Harry and James discussing mine and Al's relationship in that way is so cringe worthy, I want to bury my head in the covers and never look either of them in the eye again.

'Oh dear God,' I mutter.

'Tell me about it.'

And then suddenly we're laughing, and we don't stop for a long time.

'I love you, Katie.'

'I love you too.'

* * *

**Okay, this chapter should have come with a fluff warning. Really this was just a bit of a filler chapter, building up to their return to Hogwarts. I promise more drama is on the way!**

**Anyway, as always, thanks for reading, and please review. **


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